Lalibela Community Outreach is the philanthropic heart of Lalibela Wildlife Reserve, partnering with our neighbouring communities on education, health, nutrition and conservation, one project at a time.
LCO forms part of a network of local organisations working together for the Seven Fountains and Salem communities, funding projects for better job opportunities and community betterment, guest by guest, season by season.
Scholarships, first aid training, school shoes and stationery, and seven sport codes, from soccer to gumboot dancing.
Explore →Free eye testing, wellness days with Rhodes University, and pet health days that protect people and animals alike.
Explore →Daily breakfast at Masekane Primary, soup kitchens across two communities, and a teaching garden growing the next generation of farmers.
Explore →Anti-poaching training, invasive species eradication, and hands-on conservation careers for the next generation.
Explore →
Now in its third year, guests purchase a blanket to use on safari and donate forward, reaching every household across Seven Fountains and Salem.
School Is Cool + Shoes for Africa: guests fund a stationery pack or a pair of shoes for R300, building a shoe-exchange library for the community's children.
Mother Garden 1 & 2, worm farms and a growing tree nursery, teaching small-scale farming while feeding soup kitchens and the recreation centre.
Between the lodges and the community, a network of people is quietly building something that lasts long after checkout.

Each year on Mandela Day, LCO hosts a community celebration to commemorate Ubuntu: cake for the soup kitchens and recreation centre, and a special thank-you for the police officers who keep the community safe. This year, Lalibela also hosted children and carers from Grahamstown Child Welfare for a game drive, with every child receiving a Project 300 blanket.
Read more about our eventsInterventions like these play a vital role in responsible wildlife management. By monitoring and responding when necessary, we remain committed to protecting and conserving this iconic species for future generations.
Every blanket, every pair of shoes, every stationery pack starts with a guest who chose to give a little more. Here's how you can help.